I removed the word 'balance' from my vocabulary many years ago, unless of course, I'm speaking about my checking account, which even then has had it's wonky tallied moments! What I'm talking about here though, is the use of the word 'balance' when referencing our lives. It's like one more thing we use against ourselves, when we don't quite measure up to what we're told a balanced life ought to look like. I remember many times, feeling disarranged when juggling my work, raising my boys, plus going to school. Shoot, the mere thought that I was out-of-balance caused feelings of imbalance! Who the heck are these people anyway, that talk about having these wonderful balanced lives?
I don't buy any of it! In fact, this 'balanced life' nonsense bears a strong resemblance to perfectionism, and let me just tell you, as someone who struggled to be perfect for most of my life, there's no such thing! It's nothing but an endless mountain of delusion that we will never scale and conquer. The summit will remain forever just beyond our reach, because our lives are rarely in perfect equilibrium.
Life is like an ocean wave. It goes up, it comes down and sometimes tosses us all around. That's how we grow, gain wisdom and become even greater versions of ourselves. So instead of trying to reach some external, flawless ideal, I think I'll just get really skilled at surfing. Besides, I'm totally at peace embracing this beautiful mess called, my life.
🌊Hang ten baby!